Cisneros pleads guilty in Abernathy murder

By HOMER MARQUEZ Herald News Editor

Published 3:16 pm, Monday, August 5, 2013

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Cisneros pleads guilty in Abernathy murder

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The jury heard two conflicting sides of the story Monday afternoon as deliberations opened for a 2012 Abernathy shooting that left one man dead and another critically injured. But despite testimony, shooter Samuel Anthony Cisneros, 19, has pleaded guilty for the murder of 53-year-old Asuncion Loredo and the shooting of 30 year-old Jose Ruben Perez. Now, Hale County’s 64th Court, will determine the rest of Cisneros’ life as they decide the young-man’s sentencing.

Cisneros is facing 2-20 years in prison for assault with a deadly weapon, and five years to life for first degree murder.

After hours of selecting a jury panel, Cisneros opened the trial Monday by officially entering a guilty plea for the charges. Cisneros had already confessed to the murder and assault the night of the May 27, 2012 shooting after he was arrested at his sister’s house.

The incident was described as a verbal dispute between neighbors that turned deadly, as it was reported that Cisneros had shot the two men with a shotgun after an argument early that Sunday morning.

Cisneros hung his head low as a recording of the confession was played to the jury. During the confession, Cisneros was reluctant to answer questions, but quickly opened up, claiming that he was simply protecting his family, who he said was being threatened by his neighbors.

“I was protecting my family,” said Cisneros as he confessed to Texas Ranger Tom Snyder. Cisneros described that his family, especially his 68-year-old father, were the subjects of bullying from neighbor Jose Ruben Perez and Perez’s family. Cisneros said the neighbors had cheated money from his father, who had worked for three months with Perez’s roofing company.

Cisneros said they tried to take advantage of his elderly father.

Cisneros also claimed the neighbors had stolen tools and items from the Cisneros family, as well as caused some property damage throughout the years.

Cisneros then explained that Perez had made threats that they were going to cause harm to Samuel Cisneros’ father and seven-year-old brother, who lived at the house.

Cisneros said verbal arguments flared up at times but it never turned physical.

According to Cisneros, the bullying boiled over on May 27, when Cisneros said he was walking past his neighbor’s house on his way home from his sister’s house down the street.

He said Perez and Loredo, who was an employee of Perez’s roofing company, were sitting on a truck tailgate drinking beer. Cisneros, who admitted that he too had been drinking, said Perez started threaenting him and his family as he walked by. Cisneros said Perez said he was going to kill either his father or little brother.

“What was I supposed to do?” said a sobbing Cisneros in the tape. “No one threatens my family. I snapped.”

According to Cisneros’ account in the recorded confession, he then went and grabbed his 12-gauge shotgun and returned to his neighbors’ home.

Later during Perez’s testimony on the stand Monday, Perez said he thought Cisneros shot at him first but missed. Cisneros then shot Loredo and then fired a shot into the back of Perez. Perez said he then crawled to the porch and heard Cisneros fire two more shots into Loredo. Loredo was hit in the face, chest and in the abdomen.

Cisneros said he didn’t know Loredo but figured he was a member of Perez’s family. Cisneros reportedly put the weapon in his backyard and walked around the block before heading back to his sister’s house.

Perez said his 10-year-old son sat on his back to put pressure on the wound before medical attention arrived. Perez was rushed to a Lubbock hospital, and Loredo was pronounced dead later that morning.

Monday on the witness stand, Perez said he had never made any threat toward any member of the Cisneros family. Perez claimed that he hardly ever said anything to the Cisneros family, but hello and good-bye. Perez said that Cisneros walked up to the two men that Sunday morning and threatened to kill Perez or someone in his family, and then went and got the shotgun.

After recalling his account of the shooting, the court adjourned until Tuesday morning.